Float for supply-valves of water-closet tanks.



J. B. V'OGBLBACH. FLOAT FOE SUPPLY VALVES 0]? WATER CLOSET TANKS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 19, 1906.

Patented Feb. 14, 1911.

INVENTOR 1707073. Wgelfiaci;

WITNES SES rm: NORRIS PETERS 5a.. WASHINIFION. n. c

T 5 t; t 1 i 1. 11 u JOHN B. VOGELBACH, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

FLOAT FOR SUPPLY-VALVES 0F WATER-CLOSET TANKS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 19, 1906.

Patented Feb. 14, 1911.

Serial No. 317,653.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN B. VocELBAorr, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Floats forSupply-Valves of WatenGloset Tanks, of which the following is aspecification.

The invention relates to improvements in floats of the character usuallyemployed for operating the supply-valves of tanks for water-closets; andit consists in the novel features hereinafter described, andparticularly pointed out in the claims.

Many objections have existed to the floats ordinarily made use of andvarious attempts have been made to correct the defects therein. A greatmany floats at present in use comprise two hemi-spherical shellssoldered together, and these floats are not only not seamless and liableto leakage, but are open to other recognized objections unnecessary torepeat. Other floats heretofore used are in the form of seamless glassballs and these are open to several objections, one being the difficultyof securing in a simple and adequate manner the float rod thereto.Another objection to the glass balls is that they become so easilyfractured that they entail a great loss due to their breakage. Otherconstructions of floats have been provided, and among other objectionsto these may be mentioned the difliculty of effectually sealing the sameand at the same time properly securing the float rod thereto. In theabsence of properly sealing the float water will leak into the same. Itis also desirable that the means closing the float shall be capable ofconvenient removal so that any water which may gather therein, either bycondensation or leakage may be easily emptied out or removed.

My invention seeks to remedy the objections to existing floats and toprovide a float in one integral piece of metal having a neck at one sidethereof which may not only be effectually sealed but adapted to receivea closure capable of being secured to the float rod and of beingconveniently applied to and removed from said neck, said closurecontaining no opening through it, but being provided at its outerportion with a socket or sockets to receive the end of the rod and atits inner portion with a screw thread for engaging a thread formed onthe end of said neck.

The invention will be fully understood from the detailed descriptionhereinafter presented, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,in which:

Figure 1 is a central vertical longitudinal section through a floatconstructed in accordance with and embodying the invention, the closureat the neck of the float being shown partly in side elevation; Fig. 2 isan enlarged central vertical longitudinal section through the neck andclosure of the float; and Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section ofsame on the dotted line 3*?) of Fig. 2.

In the drawings, 10 designates the spherical body of the float, 11 theneck thereof, 12 the closure therefor and 13 a portion of the floatrodfor operating the customary supply-valve, not shown.

The float 10 with its'neck 11 is in one integral piece of copper spuninto the shape illustrated, the neck 11 being integral with the body ofthe float and extending from one side thereof in line with the center ofsaid body.

The preferred form of closure 12 is that illustrated in Fig. 1, in whichit may be observed that said closure is formed with an inwardlyextending screw-threaded plug 14, an outwardly extending polygonal stem15 and an integral annular flange 16 forming a cap which passes upon theexterior of the outer end of the neck 11. The inner surface of the neck11 is formed with a screw thread, as shown in Fig. 2, to receive themale thread on the plug 14, the outer end of the neck 11 passing betweenthe plug 14 and flange 16. The closure 12 is applied to the neck 11 bymeans of a wrench which will engage the polygonal sides of the exposedstem 15, and the plug 14 should very closely fit within the neck 1.1 sothat no opportunity may be given for water to leak into the float. Inorder to efl'cctually seal the joint between the plug 14 and neck 11,white lead should be applied upon the thread of the plug 14, and thislead may serve as a packing as shown in Figs.- 1 and 2, about the outeren of the neck 11 and within the flange 16.

The rod 13 has a threaded end and is secured to the stem 15 by screwingthe same into a threaded socket 18 formed in the end of said stem inline with the neck 11. The socket- 18 does not extend through theclosure 12 and hence there is no opportunity for any leakage around therod 13 to the interior of the float, and this is a special feature ofadvantage. I also provide the stem 15 of the closure with a transversethreaded socket 19 to receive the end of the rod 13 when the float is tostand vertically, as would be the case when the float is employed intanks having a top-supply. When the float is to be employed in tankshaving a bottonrsupply the rod 13 will be secured in the socket 18 andthe float will be arranged horizontally or substantially so, as shown inFig. 1. The sockets 118, 19 correspond with. each other, one extendingin line with the neck of the float and the other transversely there to,and these sockets enable the employment of the float in either ahorizontal or vertical position.

The float of my invention is employed in the same manner that floats intanks for water-closets are usually made use of, my invention having todo more particularly with! providinga more efficient and convenientfloat than those heretofore known to me. The float of my invention is inone integral piece of copper spun into shape with the neck 11 extendingfrom one side thereof and hence the float is not only seamless but notliable to fracture, as is the case with glass floats. The neck 11aflords very convenient means for applying thereto a closure which willeffectually seal the float and also receives the red by which the floatis connected to the valve mechanism, there being no opening through theclosure and the closure being adapted to tightly fit and seal the end ofthe neck 11. It is highly important that the float should be eiiectuallysealed so that no water may leak into the same, and it is sometimes alsodesirable that the'fl'oat be capable of being readily opened so that anyWater which may gather therein due to condensation or otherwise may beremoved, and in accordance with my in vention it is obvious that theclosure may be removed by means of a wrench without injury to the floatand with convenience.

The float of my invention is especially durable and efficient due to thefact that the neck 11 is integral with the body of the float and thatthe closure is applied to said neck, which is of contracted form andcylindrical in cross-section and capable of receiving at its outer end ascrew thread adapted to snugly receive the closure, the application ofthe closure to the neck in no way aflecting the body of the float, andthe neck being capable of'being conveniently and efl'ectually sealed bymeans wholly exterior to the body of the float. The cylindrical neck 11pre sents in itself a stiff strong structure and hence the float may besuspended from the float-rod with the latter simply entering, withoutextending through, the means closing said neck.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters-Pa-tent, is

1. A seamless float comprising a hollow body and integral neck extendingtherefrom and the whole being formed of a sheet of metal, and a closureapplied upon the end of said neck and having a polygonal portion toreceive the applying and removing tool, and a socket formed directlytherein to receive the float red, the inner portion of said closurebeing screw-threaded to engage said neck, which is screw-threaded toreceive said closure substantially as set forth.

2. A seamless float comprising; a hollow body and integral neckextend-ing therefrom and the whole being formed of a sheet of metal, anda closure applied upon the end of said neck and having a polygonalportion to receive the applying and removing tool, a socket to receivethe float rod and a threaded inner end which is in the form of a solidplug to enter said neck which is threaded in its interior to receivesaid; plug end; substantially as set forth.

3. A seamless float. comprising the hollow body and integral neckextending from the side thereof, and a closure applied upon the end ofsaid neck and having a threaded solid plug to enter said neck, an outerportion containing a socket to receive the float rod and a flange topass upon the outer side of the end of said neck substantially as set

